As Matthew Stafford acquired to the rostrum on Thursday, he joked that he was positive reporters wished to ask him questions concerning the paper lower he suffered.
The Rams star quarterback then fielded inquiries concerning the topic that clouds all dialog concerning the Rams: The again damage that sidelined Stafford till this week.
Stafford practiced for the fourth day in a row, one other small milestone for the Seventeenth-year professional and a staff aiming to make a Tremendous Bowl run.
“The good thing is I feel pretty good,” mentioned Stafford, who practiced for the fourth day in a row. “The last couple days out there practicing, I was able to do even more than I thought I was going to be able to do the first day, and then I’ve just been trying to stack days.
“Backs are sometimes interesting things. It’s not cut and dry, what’s what and how you’re going to feel. So I’m really appreciative of our team, our head coach and everybody taking a day-to-day approach with me and doing everything they can to try and help me out.
“I have a feeling of responsibility to our team to do what’s right by them and I’m trying to do that as best as I can day in and day out.”
Stafford, 37, declined to debate specifics of his damage, which coach Sean McVay has described as an aggravated disc that required a minimum of one epidural injection.
Stafford mentioned there was not a selected offseason incident that prompted the situation, which apparently flared whereas coaching between the time the Rams returned from Maui in June and the beginning of coaching camp in late July.
“It wasn’t like one thing where I knew right away,” he mentioned. “Just kind of something that crept up on me a little bit.”
Stafford mentioned he had finished “everything under the sun” to have the ability to return to the sphere.
Requested if he anticipated to be prepared for the Sept. 7 opener towards the Houston Texans, he mentioned, “I’m not going to answer questions like that. … It’s probably a day-to-day thing. I’m just doing everything I can to try and be out there for the next practice.”
Rams coach Sean McVay, left, talks with quarterback Matthew Stafford, proper, throughout coaching camp in Woodland Hills on Thursday.
(Gary Klein / Los Angeles Occasions)
Stafford’s return to the sphere started on Monday, two days after he didn’t undergo a scheduled particular person throwing session. Stafford recovered nicely sufficient from Monday’s exercise to follow once more on Tuesday. He participated in a staff jogthrough on Wednesday, after which went by way of a full follow on Thursday.
All through the week, he seemed sharp and confirmed no discernible indicators of discomfort or limitations.
“I’ve seen a guy that’s gotten better and better,” McVay mentioned. “He looks like the stud that we know.”
Stafford’s availability shall be paramount for a staff aiming to return to the Tremendous Bowl for the primary time because the 2021-22 season, when Stafford led the Rams to a victory in Tremendous Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium.
Through the offseason, the Rams adjusted Stafford’s contract — he’ll carry a salary-cap variety of $47.5 million this season, in response to Overthecap.com — as a result of they imagine that with the addition of star receiver Davante Adams and a rising protection, they’ve a shot at one other title.
Throughout coaching camp and joint practices with the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints, veteran Jimmy Garoppolo took first-team snaps instead of Stafford. Third-year professional Stetson Bennett additionally made main strides throughout coaching camp and two preseason begins.
But Stafford’s availability and efficiency will dictate whether or not the Rams can enhance their efficiency from final season, once they superior to the NFC divisional spherical earlier than dropping to the eventual Tremendous Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles.
So the Rams and Stafford should handle the again problem.
The Rams play their remaining preseason sport at Cleveland on Saturday, however Stafford — and maybe different veterans — is not going to journey, McVay mentioned.
Stafford sounded as if managing this again problem shall be nothing new for a quarterback who performed by way of quite a few accidents throughout 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions and 4 with the Rams.
“There’s soreness all over the place, every time I wake up,” he joked. “It’s something that I’ll manage like I do a million other things throughout the year.”
